Anime Profile: Rurouni Kenshin

Rurouni Kenshin is about a man named Himura Kenshin who was once an assassin called "Battousai the Manslayer." He fought in the revolution and was believed to be the strongest imperialist. However, due to a horrible incident, he put away the sword that kills and decided he would never kill another human being, no matter what. He took up a reverse-blade sword. This way, even though he used the impressive Hiten Mitsurugi style, he could protect others without killing.

Ten years after he starts wandering, he meets a girl named Kamiya Kaoru who mistakes him for a man who calls himself "Battousai the Manslayer" and is killing people in the name of the Kamiya Kasshin style. Kaoru attacks Kenshin, thinking he is this person, since he carries a sword. However, she quickly learns that he is not the one she is looking for.

Later, she is fighting with the "real" Battousai, who injures her and is about to kill her when Kenshin jumps in the way and quickly carries Kaoru to safety. She lets him stay the night at her place, and he accepts. The next day, she is attacked again, when Kenshin appears. He defeats the man and tells him the Battousai doesn't use the Kamiya Kasshin style, but he uses the Hiten Mitsurugi style. Kaoru realizes that Kenshin really is Battousai, but she tells him she doesn't care about his past. Kenshin decides to stay at the Kamiya dojo. Later, a boy named Yahiko comes to live with them, and they also meet new people such as the lady doctor Megumi, the freeloader Sanosuke, the brooding Aoshi and high-spirited Misao, and the merciless Saitou.

Rurouni Kenshin focuses on how Kenshin affects other people's lives, and how they affect his. It also sends messages such as "no matter how many sins you commit, you can still repent". It deals with the problems Kenshin has with his "no kill" policy, and how he finds solutions to them.

I would rate this PG-13 for violence. There's also quite a bit of language and some very brief nudity in a couple of episodes, but it's not very detailed. Also, there is tobacco usage as well as drinking in a few episodes. The English localization is toned down, with the nudity and swearing removed.